Overcoming the global donor shortage with tissue-engineered corneas

Corneal endothelial decompensation results from a defective corneal endothelium and leads to visual impairment and, if untreated, to blindness. At present the only available treatment is corneal transplantation. However, a global shortage of human donor corneas results in long waiting lists and restricted access to treatment in many parts of the world.

In this webinar, our winner of the 2022 RegMedNet Rising Star Award, Bert Van den Bogerd, will provide insight into the tissue engineering strategies he is employing to overcome these challenges and discuss how he is developing a biomimetic corneal tissue.

This webinar was recorded on 23 November 2022.

What will you learn?Who may this interest?Speaker

What will you learn?

  • Why do we need alternatives for corneal transplantations?
  • How tissue engineering is being used to overcome the global donor shortage
  • The benefits of utilizing biosynthetic tissues in place of traditional donor tissues

Who may this interest?

  • Researchers
  • Clinicians
  • Individuals with an interest in tissue engineering and its applications

Speaker

Bert Van den Bogerd
Postdoctoral researcher and team leader
Antwerp Research Group for Ocular Science (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

Bert Van den Bogerd, winner of the RegMedNet Rising Star Award 2022, is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in corneal tissue engineering. Alongside several scientific publications in the domain of corneal tissue engineering and biomaterials, Bert has published a critical communication in the New England Journal of Medicine and holds a patent to treat visual disorders. In 2019 he received a prize for best student from Nobel prize winner, Jean Tirole. In 2020, Bert won the PhD Cup, a contest that brings science to the lay public, and was awarded both the jury and audience award for his scientific communication skills.

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